Kerala CM seeks PM Modi’s help to bring stranded Indians from Gulf

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and help bring back Indians stranded in Gulf countries due to flight shortages amid the West Asia conflict. He also sought regulation of high ticket fares and a centralised repatriation system

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sought the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back Indians stranded in Gulf nations amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

In a letter to the PM, Vijayan said many ‘pravasis’ (Indian nationals abroad) were stranded in the Gulf countries without any viable or affordable return options due to a severe shortage of chartered and scheduled flights operating from there to India.

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“The Union government is requested to urgently engage with flight operators or airline companies to resume and increase flight services to priority destinations in India, including tier-2 cities,” the CM said in his letter dated March 5.

He further said it would be desirable to establish a centralised registration system through Indian Missions or a dedicated online portal to identify and prioritise the repatriation of the most vulnerable, including the sick, elderly, pregnant women, children and those in financial distress.

“The Union government may kindly keep the state governments informed of these arrangements to facilitate seamless reception and onward support for returnees,” he said.

Vijayan also invited Modi’s attention to the situation of flight operators charging excessively inflated ticket prices, several times higher than normal fares, for chartered flights from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to India, “exploiting the crisis and rendering travel unaffordable for many pravasis”.

“The Union government is requested to actively engage with airline companies to regulate ticket fares in this hour of distress,” the CM said in his letter.

He also said there were a substantial number of Indian nationals on tourist and visit visas in GCC countries and their return needs to be facilitated in a coordinated manner.

“Besides, a large number of Indian passengers who were using GCC airports (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait) as transit hubs en route to other continents and destinations are now stranded mid-journey due to sudden flight cancellations and airspace closures. Their case calls for urgent attention,” the CM said.

He requested that a specific helpline or registration channel be created for transit passengers, distinct from resident Indians, given their unique vulnerability of being without luggage, accommodation or local contacts while stranded in a foreign country.

“I request the prime minister to kindly intervene in the above urgent matter at the earliest,” Vijayan said in his letter.